Webcast of Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting soon

KENDRAPADA: Officers of Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) willwebcast the mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha this year in the presence of forest officers. It can be viewed on and www.odishawildlife.org and www.bhitarkanika.org.

The nesting can start anytime now with many female turtles congregating in the sea near Nasi-1 and Nasi-2 islands. Last year, around 4 lakh eggs were laid on March 17, said divisional forest officer (Bhitarkanika National Park) Kedar Kumar Swain.

DRDO took it upon itself to webcast the natural phenomenon as it cannot allow other agencies to come to the nesting site on security grounds.

The missile testing range on Wheeler Island is quite close to Gahirmatha. DRDO will provide all infrastructure and logistics for the job.

Last year, the state government had decided upon the webcast, said Swain. "As Gahiramath is a restricted area due to its proximity to Wheeler Island, we sought the help of scientists of DRDO to webcast the mass-nesting," said Dr Chandrasekhar Kar, a noted turtle biologist and researcher.